Cop whose gun was used in woman's death is fired

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Board has fired a police sergeant whose gun was used in the death of a woman.

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By The Associated Press

The State Journal-Register

By The Associated Press

Posted Jul. 18, 2014 at 6:22 AM

By The Associated Press
Posted Jul. 18, 2014 at 6:22 AM

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Board has fired a police sergeant whose gun was used in the death of a woman.

The board's firing late Thursday of Sgt. Steven Lesner went beyond the 60-day suspension suggested by Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports the board fired Lesner for a 2009 incident in which he bought liquor for a woman he'd met while on duty. He allegedly failed to secure his weapon when he went to her apartment after his shift ended.

The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled the woman, 47-year-old Catherine Weiland, committed suicide by shooting herself in the head with Lesner's gun.

Lesner can fight the dismissal with a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. His attorney, Thomas Pleines, says they haven't decided on a course of action.